Pages

Thursday, July 30, 2009

100 Years of History

Well, we finally made it to St. Louis!

Our daughter Erin, and her husband Keith, moved to an historic district in St. Louis last October. They both have demanding jobs, so this move was pretty intense for them. They had been looking for the right house for several years and pretty much knew where they wanted to be. Painting, re-plastering ceilings and walls, installing ceiling fans, insulation, drywalling, more painting, more plastering, roof work, landscaping, etc. Need I say more, a 100 year old house needs a lot of maintenance and TLC. So then we had Christmas, then my hostpital stay, and weeks of feeling bad, so now nine months later I finally get there.

Wow, it was worth the wait!

The area they live in is a few blocks away from Washington University, (Wash U, as the locals call it) and a few blocks from Forest Park, which was where the St. Louis World's Fair was located in 1904. It is absolutely gorgeous with 100 year old tree-lined streets, and lush landscapes. It's "Close-in"; University City, St. Louis, but in a lovely gated area.

Erin and Keith

This is inside the entry.Stained glass front door with original square brass doorhandle.

Erin has a black Eastlake parlor table. Hmmm...wonder where she got that?

Entry and stairway

Beautiful marble floor in the entry way with my grandkitty, Boscoe. She is quite the Miss Congeniality, as you can see. I call her "the ignorer". She used to slap you every time you walked by, but she's mellowed somewhat.

Erin likes a palatte of grays, taupes, and darker colors. I think these are 10 foot ceilings, and original windows with the wavy glass panes. Keith's Mom is in the process of making their draperies. Yikes what a job!

She has a mixture of furniture, that she has tied together with black paint.

They have a little Modern edge to their decorating,

that keeps things unexpected.

These beautiful hardwood floors are throughout the house.

The kids call this the "Harry Potter" door. In reality it's their entry closet.

Living Room that connects to a large sunroom

through french doors.

"Curiosity Bookcases"

Authentic cow hide rug, you can see the brand.

Monstrous television, but movies sure are fun.

The ceilings are amazing in the sun room. They remind me of a Basillica.

Upstairs stair and hallway. I love the turned original spindles.

The upstairs bath that I used has the original sconces.

Marble window ledges.

Original claw foot tub and more marble floors

This room is above the sunroom on the second floor. They use it as an office,

and it has french doors into the Master Bedroom.

Keith is a "Craig's List" shopper, and he has found some great pieces.

Master Bedroom gray-green walls.

The tour didn't include the third floor media room with a projector TV or the other bedrooms and baths. They also have a large unfinished basement with the laundry and a wine cellar.

Now we are back on the main floor again, and this is the window above the kitchen sink.

(view of next door)

They ordered this table, but are still waiting for the chairs to arrive. Vintage fan, and poster of the London Underground.

Garden window, that Boscoe has claimed as her perch, which looks out to the back yard and detached garage.

This is a beautiful little fountain and pond. The sound is so relaxing.

Back view of the house.

Concrete garden statue in honor of their dearly departed

English Bulldog, Jack Edward.

He was a handsome fella, quite the British man about town.

Back deck and hot tub.

I have photos of some of their vintage and retro poster art. I'll post those soon.

We had a wonderful time on our visit. The kids were lovely hosts and put up with me waving a camera at every nook, cranny and shopping spot.

Hi Debra~ I love that you call Boscoe your grandkitty! So sweet! Kitties are so funny! Your daughter has a wonderful home! Love all the pictures. Thanks for inviting me over to see Boscoe (love that name). ~Mandy (I wish you good health. I've been working on mine for the past few years. Without a sound mind and body, nothing else matters.)

Squeal! Double Squeal!Scrolling through your latest post above, I was hoping you would post about their home...and you did! Oh my I love love love it! I love the grays, the marble everywhere, and I love the touch of modern here and there. It brings a new young life to the house! I'm so jealous of their cat. such a lucky cat to live in a mansion. everything vintage